grateful project : the little things * day 2

i had a new experience today that i’ve been wallowing in all day. i’m not going to say it was positive, but i’m going to try to spin it that way. it was an experience that dipped me into the cool waters of school and discipline.

when i picked owen up from school, his teacher pulled me aside to discuss owen’s listening skills…or lack there of. i’m not going to get into all the gory details, but to say that i was disappointed was an understatement. after all, as mama’s, we all hope deep down that our children are always angels whether at home or at school or wherever. the reality is our beloved angels are churning around in a world they are trying to figure out and sometimes they don’t always make the right choices. bummer. so i’ve been brewing and stewing about owen’s listening skills all day, wondering how to kick this problem in the bootie real quick. thankfully, between my hubby, myself and a dear friend of mine (you know who you are…thank you!) we thought the best way to counteract the listening trouble at school was to enhance it at home. thus the birth of *owen’s listening game* …

it’s not anything someone hasn’t done before and it’s not rocket science, but it’s new to us, it’s hangin’ on our fridge, and it will hopefully become an effective tool to boost owen’s listening habit.

the gist of it :

if he does something the 1st time we ask, he gets a sticker to put in row 1 of the gray dots. 5 stickers = present from the present jar (*which will consist of little things like : cars, play-doh, bouncy balls, etc.)

we’ll work our way up each time moving from 5 stickers to 6 to 7 (you get the idea)…

when the whole sheet is full = trip to mcdonald’s *woot!*

and that’s pretty much it. simple. riiiiiiight. i’ll keep you updated on our progress…

any-hoo, gratefulness. i thought i would prelude my gratefulness for the day with that little story because it really got me thinking about being a mom. and i’m not going to lie, though i love it, it’s hard work. real hard. always struggling with if you’re doing the right thing. am i being strict enough? aren’t i? am i fun enough? does he still love me even though it’s been a rough day? you know the drill, your guilty mom conscious that shouts at you from the sidelines of your life all. day. long. but somehow, it’s worth it. SO worth it.

this leads me to todays gratefulness.

grateful : day 2

today, i’m grateful and honored to have someone to call me mama. to carry this label in the arsenal of labels that we are given in our lifetime. MAMA. with this title come struggles (as you saw above), some worry, some tears, some anxiety, but more importantly come two healthy, happy little boys that look to me for guidance, for love, for compassion, for laughter. and for every challenge, there are twice the amount of hugs, kisses, high fives and giggles. and how AWESOME is that?! so today, i’m thankful for being a mama. for being given the opportunity to take these two little lives and fill them with as much fun, and love, and guidance as i can in the hopes that i am shaping their little lives in a positive way.